In an effort to promote public health awareness, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has outlined preparation basics for the zombie apocalypse [1].

Yes, you read that right: zombie apocalypse.

As it turns out, preparing for the zombie apocalypse is similar to preparing for any other disaster: stock up on food, water and medications; have tools and supplies on hand; have items for sanitation and hygiene; etc. The CDC outlines emergency preparedness elsewhere on their website, but apparently no one really wants to read about preparing for a tornado, flood or winter weather. What people do want to read about is the zombie apocalypse. Thus, running with the idea that how you prepare is more important that what you prepare for, CDC went with a tongue-in-cheek, partially no-nonsense discussion of the undead and what happens when they attack.

The United States has one of the safest food supplies in the world. Nevertheless, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), foodborne disease causes approximately 76 million illnesses, 325,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths in the U.S. each year [1] — and that’s just an estimate based on data collected from the Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet), other surveillance networks and published studies.

Approximately one in four Americans get sick by foodborne illness each year [1]. Of those 76 million people, an estimated 325,000 are hopitalized and 5,000 die. Indeed, foodborne disease outbreaks reported to the CDC alone through the Foodborne Disease Outbreak Survelliance System recorded 1,247 outbreaks in 2006 [2].

The vast majority of known foodborne illnesses are associated with products regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). According to Jeff Levi, Ph.D., Executive Director of Trust for America’s Health, a non-profit, non-partisan organization working to make disease prevention a national priority [3]:

Our food safety system is plagued with problems, and it’s leading to millions of Americans becoming needlessly sick each year. The system is outdated and unable to effectively deal with today’s threats. Its current structure actually prevents the kind of coordinated, focused effort that Americans need more than ever and have a right to expect.